I hope all you Abeelstreet.com readers had a wonderful holiday season. Ours was full of happy family moments and traditions. The Holidays may be the only time of the year that some of us bring out our fine china (yet we all have at least one or two sets for display). This year, as I set the table with our family china – an incomplete set of white Limoge with a delicate gold-scalloped border – I thought of just how many years this set has graced my table and that of it’s other owners since it was made in the late 1800s. Imagine the stories that set could tell! Well, actually, perhaps we really don’t want to know them all!
My favorite piece of any china set is perhaps the most elegant yet under appreciated; the soup tureen. I simply treasure my collection of tureens and casseroles. I have some that are parts of sets and many others that have been long separated from their counterparts. But each one was surely passed hand to hand throughout the years from one family member to another. Now that fine china has fallen out of everyday use in our country, I am happy that these elegant dishes end up in my cabinet. I frequently buy them as much for their history as for their beauty and value.
I like to use them too, even though they are fragile and of course aren’t safe for dishwashers or microwaves. I just pour hot (not boiling) water in them prior to serving to keep the food warm on the table. The older and more valuable ones are just displayed on a shelf, proudly showing their wear and age, as a treasured grandmother or aunt might.
Tureens have been in use for hundreds of years, and have evolved from a simple oval or round covered bowl to be passed along at a simple family meal, to elaborate dishes in different shapes (including ones shaped like animals and vegetables) and many different colors and designs. Their history dates to the introduction of porcelain to Europe, but really took off in the late 1700s when potter and business tycoon, Josiah Wedgewood, designed fine earthenware that was durable and affordable enough for the growing middle class of London. Most pieces you see today are from the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Whether you plan to use one at family dinners or just like the look of one in your china cabinet, soup tureens are an elegant and historical collectible that I find hard to pass up!
Start your own collection:
German, $45 - Contact On The Hill Antiques @ Skillypot by Email or call 845-338-6779.
Limoges $45 - Contact On The Hill Antiques @ Skillypot by Email or call 845-338-6779.
